Apparatus for manufacturing thin sheets of gelatin



. R. A. M QufiTTY APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THIN SHEETS OF GELATIN Filed Aug. 2, 1925 |NVENTOR.

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Eatent Dec. 23, 3924.

ROBERT A. MCQUITTY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE NELSON DALE & COMPANY, LIMITED, OF WARWICK, ENGLAND.

' APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING THIN SHEETS OF GELATIN.

Application filed August 2, 1923. Serial No. 655,367;

To all znho'm. it may-concern: 7

Be it known that 1, ROBERT .ATKINsoN MoQ-Urr'ri'. a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland. residing at 24 Holborn. "the pool of gelatin London, England, have invented new .and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Thin Sheets of Gelatin (on which application has been made for Letters Patent in Sweden No. 1,354, filed 3rd May, 1923), of which the following is a specification. p

The present invention relates to improve- ,.ments in apparatus for carrying out the method of manufacturing thin sheets of gelatin, described in my Patent No. 1,407,-

075. In that specification, a-method is described in which; the gelatin. is coated in a thinfilm on the surface of a flexible web, which is then wound up: over the curved surface of a wheel and dried under tension, when the gelatin -is easily stripped off without the necessity for mechanical stripping means, and either rolled up or out to sheets of the desired dimensions.

Broadly stated, the invention comprises coating apparatus in the form of a rotating roller dipping into the liquid gelatin, so that it maintains a pool of the liquid between itself and the web or flexible foundation, and the web is coated without touching anything solid,'whereby scratches and damage to the coating surface of the web or foundation are avoided. This coating apparatus is preferably employed with a Web or flexible foundation in endless form, which passes vertically up from the coating apparatus, over a horizontally arranged surface. and then in slack form back to the coating apparatus; Tension is maintained in the vertical and horizontal positions of the web by the weight of a roller which is carried in guide slots in close proximity tothe coating apparatus. Above the flat or curved horizontal run of web which is under tension. a roof and side walls are provided and air blown in or extracted by a suitable fan,

pump, or the like, so that the gelatin is sheets of gelatin in which liquid gelatin quickly dried when it is taken off and rolled up or cut into sheets.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows the general arrangement of the apparatus for carrying out the invention, and

Figure 2 shows a section through the coating apparatus on an enlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 is a gelatin tank, 11 the rotating rollerand 12 maintained by the retation of the roller, between itself and the flexible foundation 1 passing over the power-driven rollers 2 and the curved surface 3. 5 the tension roller working in slots 6, and 7 the vertical run of the foundation. 8 is the roof and 9 the air pump supplying hot air to the gelatin surface running over 3.

The ends of the Web or flexible foundation are joined together with a stiffening -rod at each end, connected with a flexible binder, such as tape, cord, etc., so as to allow of continuous motion over a flat or curved surface. and then in slack and curved form back to the starting point. This journey is repeated as often as necessary to complete the drying of the gelatin on the flexible band. On repeat journeys, the gelatin supply in the tank is out OK unless it is de sired to add a second coat of gelatin.

The use of a rotating feed roller makes it possible to coat the foundation with very liquid gelatin and to repeat the coating of gelatin thereon a sufficient number of times to obtain a coating of the desired thickness. The advantage obtained from usinggelatin in a very liquid form lies in the fact that the more gelatin is heated to evaporate the moisture contained therein in order to thicken its consistency, the more the colour and strength of the gelatin deteriorates, and consequently edible sheets manufactured from thin or very liquid gelatin have a very much better appearance and are of a higher quality than those sheets manufactured from gelatin of a thicker consistency, the thicker consistency having been obtained by the evaporation of the water contained inthe gelatin at a fairly high temperature.

What Iclaim is 1. Apparatus for manufacturing thin tically from said tank andthen to pass horizontally over a supporting surface where the gelatin is dried under an air draught and from thence back to the tank for a repeat coating without the surface of the web or the said gelatin coating thereon touching anything solid and means adapted to maintain a supply of gelatin .in contact with the web during its passage throu h the tank.

2. pparatus for manufacturing thinsheets of gelatin in which liquid gelatin is coated on a web and the coat thus formed dried under tension and stripped therey from when dry, comprising a tank, an endless moving web adapted to travel in close proximity to said tank and adapted to rise vertically from said tanktand then to pass horizontally over a supporting surface where the gelatin is 'dried'under an air draught and from thence back to the tank for a repeat coating without the surface of the web or the said gelatin coating thereon touching anghing solid, means for maintaining the we under tension in both the vertical and horizontal positions and means adapted to maintain a supply of gelatin in contact with the web during its passage through the tank.

3. Apparatus for manufacturing thin sheets of gelatin in which liquid gelatin is coated 'on a web and the coat thus formed dried under tension and stripped. therefrom when dry, comprising a tank, an endless moving web adapted to travel in close proximity to said tank and adapted to.rise vertically from said tank and then to pass horizontally over a supporting surface where the gelatin is dried under an air draught and from thence back to the tank for a repeat coating without the surface of the web or the said gelatin coating thereon -touching anythingsolid, a roller mounted in slot bearings for maintaining the web both in the vertical and horizontal positions moving web adapted to travel in close prox and means adapted to maintain a supply of gelatin in contact with the web during its passage through the tank.

4. Apparatus for manufacturing thin sheets of gelatinin which liquid elatin is coated on a web and the coat thus ormed dried under tension and strip ed therefrom when dry, comprising a tan an endless 5. Apparatus for manufacturing thin sheets of gelatin in which liquid gelatin is coated on a web and the coat thus formed dried under tension and stripped therm from when dry, comprising a tank, a

and a rotatable feed roller mounted in the tank adapted to raise a. pool of liquid gelatin from the tank and to maintain this pool in contact with the web so tt at the coating is done without the surface of the web or the gelatin coating thereon touching anythingsolid.

6. Apparatus for manufacturing thin sheets of gelatin in which liquid gelatin is coated on a web and the coat thus formed dried under tension and stripped therefrom when dry, comprising a tank, an endless moving web adapted to travel in close proximity to said tank, and to rise vertically from said tank and then to pass horizontally over a supporting surface where the gelatin is dried under an air draught, a roller mounted in vertical slot bearings adapted to maintain said web in both the vertical and horizontal positio's, and a rotatable feed roller mounted in the tank adapted to raise a pool of liquid gelatin from the tank and to maintain this pool in contact with the web so that the coating is done without the surface of the 7 Web or the gelatin coating thereon touching anything solid.

7. Apparatus for manufacturing th n sheets of gelatin in which liquid elatin is coated on a web and the coat thus ormed dried under tension and strip ed therefrom when dry, com rising a ta an endless moving web a apted to travel in close proximity to said tank and to rise verticall from said tank and then to pass hor1zont'ally over a supporting surface where the gelatin is dried on an air draught and from thence back to the tank for a repeat coating without the surface of the web of the said gelatin coating thereon touching anything solid, a roller mounted in slot bearings in roximity to said tank adapted to maintain said web in both the vertical and horizontal positions and a rotatable feed roller mounted in the tank adapted to raise a pool of 1iqui d gelatin from the tank and to maintain this poolin contact with the web. a

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification.

R. a MoQUI'lTYr 

